I’m such a black-tea addict that I like to have a good cuppa before bed, but for obvious reasons the caffeinated versions are no good.

For years I just gave up on finding a good, strong and tasty decaf and simply didn’t have any tea late at night.

Then I found the Stash decaf Earl Grey. Obviously you’re going to loose flavour with 1. Decaffeinated tea and 2. Bagged tea. So you really have to keep that in mind when drinking a tea like this. You can’t expect diamonds from quartz, you know?

With that in mind, brew this with a full rolling boil and let it steep for a good 4 minutes and you’re good. I like mine with a splash of skim milk and about 1/4 teaspoon of white sugar for a good comfort drink. Perfect after a long hard day when I still need to sleep at night!

Preparation

This is a pretty good backup to PG Tips. The loose leaf is better than the bags of course, but harder to get in Canada. The tea in the bags is often dust quality tea so you really have to be careful when brewing it not to over steep.

I find Twinings is often overpriced since it’s an import here, but it’s far better than any of the bland supermarket Orange Pekoe/ Ceylon teas that are the alternative in Canada.

And as always with black tea make sure your water is actually boiling when you pour it on for the best flavour!

Preparation

It might not be the world’s fanciest tea, but for a bagged black tea nothing beats it. It really is England’s no.1 tea for a reason. Strong, tasty, full bodied. This is an every day tea that really sums up the British.

I’ve been drinking this for my whole life and no other bagged tea comes close. And a word of warning – the PG tips in Canada isn’t the same blend. PG Tips in the UK is a full bodied black tea blend including Assam tea. In Canada (and some parts of the US) it’s simply a weak, flavourless Ceylon tea. Definitely not the same thing.

Be SURE to brew it with fully rolling boiling water, not any of the “just boiled” water you often get in N. America for English Breakfast. It really is the only way to get to the good flavour and not end up with something weak and flavour-less.

Preparation

Like many of steeps’ tea this lacks a little boldness and isn’t very strong. Having said this, this is the perfect tea for a little treat on a cold evening. It’s naturally sweet, has real roasted almond slices in it and paired with a drop of skim milk is like a little slice of cake in a tea cup.

Preparation

Definitely one of my favourite flavoured Green Teas. It’s surprisingly sour and fresh which is just a perfect summer afternoon tea. It also works really well as an iced tea. Be sure to brew at the proper temp for Green Tea if you don’t want that bitter flavour!

Preparation

I bought this tea last summer when I visited the Silk Road store in Victoria, BC. They had this tea brewed as a chilled tea and the sample was most welcome on the hot August afternoon! Ever since this has been one of my go-to iced teas. It’s got a perfect natural sweetness so no sugar is needed!

Preparation

This is a fairly solid rose flavoured tea. I do find it a little over-flavoured and the tea isn’t very strong. So, it’s difficult to get this to be a good, dark black tea as over steeping it provides much too much rose flavour to the cup. It’s a good back up when I can’t make it to Vancouver Island for my favourite Silk Road.

Preparation

The black tea used in this blend is unusually strong for a Rose tea, which is why it really is the perfect black rose tea for me. The rose flavour isn’t hugely overpowering either and with its natural sweetness reminds me of rose Turkish Delight.